GS-II

Incentives for honest taxpayers on the anvil The government is working on a proposal to help honest and consistent taxpayers enjoy public services and get tax-related work done on priority, officials said on Sunday. A committee under the Central Board of Direct Taxes is working on the proposal. It is …

Centre to develop ‘model shelters’ for homeless The Centre will develop “model shelters” for urban homeless in States, equipped with facilities such as playground, television and common kitchen, an official said. According to the Housing Ministry, two model shelters will be developed in each State under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana …

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited has launched AskDisha, a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence, to troubleshoot customers’ travel-related queries. AskDisha will support several regional languages and will be voice-enabled. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/a-chatbot-for-customer-support/article25222779.ece

Soon, an app to file complaints from trains Passengers can soon file complaints through a mobile app from trains. The complaints will be registered as ‘Zero FIRs’ and will be investigated immediately by the RPF. A pilot project on the mobile application is under way, RPF D-G Arun Kumar has …

He will do ‘shastra puja’ along border with Pakistan Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will celebrate Dasara and perform ‘shastra puja’ in Bikaner along the India-Pakistan border, officials said on Sunday. This is for the first time a senior Union Minister will conduct ‘shastra puja’ or worship of weapons along …

The shortlists for the best Indian literary fiction and non-fiction work were also announced. Half the Night is Gone by Amitabha Bagchi, A Day in the Life by Anjum Hasan, All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy, Requiem in Raga Janki by Neelum Saran Gour, Poonachi by Perumal …

Total number of cases now stand at 60 Five new cases of Zika virus were detected in Jaipur on Sunday, taking the total number of infected people to 60, a Rajasthan health department official said. The figures were issued after a review meeting chaired by Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and …

Congress has objected to it being located on the Teen Murti Estate premises The foundation stone for a museum of Prime Ministers on the Teen Murti Estate premises will be laid on Monday, despite objections from the Congress. Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma and Minister of State for Housing and Urban …

‘Justice in the rule book may not serve the victim’ The victim of a crime should have a say in the punishment of the criminal, the Supreme Court has said in a judgment. A Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur, S. Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta held that punishment should …

VHP working president says that despite the significance and public impact of the issue, it has not been decided yet The pendency of appeals in the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid case has created uncertainty and kindled animosity between Hindus and Muslims, says the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s working president, Alok Kumar , …

Adityanath government says it’s a tribute to the Sangam city; Samajwadi worker held for protest What’s in a name? For the BJP-led government in Uttar Pradesh it’s a lot, as it has begun moves to soon change the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj. While the government views it as a …

Talks are on to include them in the first tri-services exercise likely to take place in 2019 The first India-U.S. tri-services exercise is likely to take place in 2019, and talks are on to include the special forces of the two countries in the drill, a senior U.S. defence official …

Verma panel proposed State-level employment tribunal to deal with complaints The Centre recently announced its plan to set up a panel of judges to look into the legal and institutional framework to curb sexual harassment at workplaces following the #MeToo campaign on social media. However, as early as 2013, the …

Bio-fuel from plastic waste soon: Minister A plant to convert plastic waste into bio-diesel will be made operational by January-end at the Indian Institute of Petroleum in Dehradun, said Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan at an International E-Waste Day event on Saturday. This bio-fuel can be used in any diesel vehicle, …

As Sri Lankans grapple with rapidly soaring living costs, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament last week that “the increase of oil prices is inevitable in the current global context”. Fuel prices went up from six to eight rupees — 92-octane petrol costs LKR 155 (roughly Rs. 68) — slowly …

Banksy’s impact beyond the conventional art world has been profound, says Dave Stuart, who runs Shoreditch Street Art Tours in London. Banksy’s humorous, often bitingly political, thought-provoking pieces introduced the media and the public to the world of street art and showed those aspiring street artists, who believed they had …

Staving off tough competition from priceless Chinese antiques, the crème de la crème of European art and Japan’s own woodblock print masters, the hottest museum tickets in Tokyo currently are to Borderless: the world’s first permanent digital art museum. teamLab, the collective behind the museum, is transforming the very ontology …

Mnuchin says Trump’s tariffs will have the opposite effect U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Saturday pushed back against warnings that Washington’s trade fight with China imperils the world economy, saying that pushing Beijing to open up will be good for all. The IMF had warned this week at annual …

U.S. President says there will be ‘severe punishment’ if the missing journalist is found murdered U.S. President Donald Trump has said Saudi Arabia could be behind the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and warned that Washington would inflict “severe punishment” if he was found murdered. The Saudi critic has not …

Cong. says Parrikar is being retained as CM because he has details on Rafale deal Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar on Saturday said the BJP was forced to continue with Manohar Parrikar as Chief Minister because he was privy to many details about the Rafale deal. The Congress objected to …